Lane Closures Added to Anderson Street Bridge Restrictions

One lane in each direction on the Anderson Street Bridge was closed Tuesday after a state consultant's inspection found the busy link between Teaneck and Hackensack would need extensive repairs, officials said. 

The lane closures will remain in place indefinitely, along with a 15-ton weight restriction forcing eleven bus routes to be detoured to Route 4. 

Concrete barriers were installed to keep traffic away from weakened areas of the four lane bridge, according to Bergen County Public Works Director Joe Crifasi. 

The bridge's condition does not pose a safety risk, but the inspection found the structure was in need of "immediate attention," Crifasi told Patch. 

There were no plans for additional closures or detours, Crifasi said. Bergen County, which owns the bridge and is responsible for the project, will await an engineering consultant's report expected within 60 days. 

"Once we get the directive from the consultant we'll act immediately on the recommendations," Crifasi said. 

Officials could decide to repair sections of the 41-year-old bridge, or replace the entire crossing. 

"There's no guide as to how old bridges can be," Crifasi said. 

An inspection in June was conducted as part of a regular federally required review of bridges, according to Tim Greeley, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. 

"At least every two years on a cycle every bridge has to be inspected and given a structural rating," Greeley said. 

The bridge was labeled "deficient" after a 2006 inspection, a state report showed. That review gave the bridge a 55.8 rating on a scale of 1 to 100, which put it in a category of needing rehabilitation. Updated inspection data was not immediately released. 

Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff at the county executive's office, said Monday officials were working to avoid closing the roadway entirely during repairs. 

"It is unclear how long the repairs will take as the design phase is ongoing and great emphasis is being placed on the bridge remaining open while repairs are completed," said an e-mail alert issued by Teaneck Tuesday afternoon. "Motorists should consider using an alternate route to avoid area delays."

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